William Ruto, the incoming president of Kenya, claims that Uhuru Kenyatta did not think it appropriate to congratulate him on his victory.
Following Mr. Ruto’s tweet about his phone call with President Kenyatta, in which they discussed the general election and the changeover to a new administration, the interview was broadcast.
“I have won the elections, that is what is important… Unfortunately, President Kenyatta has not seen it fit to congratulate me but I think that’s fine. Maybe he is a bit disillusioned, or maybe he is unhappy that I defeated his candidate. But that is the nature of politics,” he told CNN.
Mr Ruto, an evangelical Christian, also said on CNN that gay rights are “not a big issue” in the country right now, and that he will prioritize unemployment and hunger.
“We do not want to create a mountain out of a mole hill. This is not a big issue for the people of Kenya.”
He added: “When the issue of homosexuality and the rights of LGBT will come, the people of Kenya will make a choice and we will respect the choice. For now let us focus on the issues that affect our people.”
In Kenya, a colonial-era law makes gay sex illegal, prosecutable by up to 14 years in jail. It is unclear whether any gay sex convictions have ever occurred in Kenya.